PLANNING A BETTER FUTURE

An ongoing exhibition highlights the increasing role that architects are playing in shaping China's urban landscape, Lin Qi reports.

Over the past decade China has become a demonstration ground for international architects to explore ideas and technologies.

However, since local planners have come to realize that a good city needs not just landmark high-rises, but also well-devised areas that make residents' daily lives convenient and comfortable, while at the same time preserving and respecting historical buildings and architecture, experts are getting even more involved in the country's rapid urbanization. As well as designing buildings, architects are also increasingly participating in the planning of city districts.